<p>I've got orientation in a week and I still haven't gotten a packet in the mail or anything. (Heck, I got 1 of the 4 e-mails during admissions, and never got the invitation to register for orientation after I enrolled, just read the brochure online and registered...so I don't have a good record with UM communications :-p).</p>
<p>Is there anything I need to know before I go Monday? I lucked onto the link for the ONSP checklist with all the online forms I needed to submit before going, but that's all I've got to go on. Anything I need to bring, a schedule I should know about, etc. If it makes a difference, it's the 1-day transfer orientation.</p>
<p>"She" :-) And yes I am a transfer, that's why I added that it's a 1-day transfer orientation. Hopefully someone here knows. If not, I'll just go up to the ONSP this week at some and see if I can get a list.</p>
<p>I'm a transfer student too and I still didn't get the orientation brochure. </p>
<p>I live in New Jersey and I won't be able to come until end of August!!! Arghhh I dunno what to do. I read that the last day for orientation is August 17 for transfer students...and classes dont start until September. So what will I do there all that time???!! <em>sigh</em>.</p>
<p>Also, I'll be registering late for classes, meaning I will get crappy teachers coz all the good teachers are taken. :(</p>
<p>I don't think we need anything. I'm gonna try and get a copy of my transcript just in case. Other than that, a pencil and a nice shirt for my mCard.</p>
<p>And MightyNick, I suggest just signing up. The brochure is available online, and I know you can sign up now.</p>
<p>lol sorry about messing up gender, which day are you going to? I'm going Tuesday.</p>
<p>You can only sign up if you have already received the brochure. I tried signing up and I get an error saying that "You haven't received your brochure yet" or something like that. I'm gonna call em up tomorrow to clarify this.</p>
<p>Cvjn, did you get your housing contract yet? do you know where you're living?</p>
<p>How does that process work? I got a housing contract which I have to return in 10 days. If I want a contract reassignment, should I NOT send my housing contract? What happens if someone agrees to give me his housing contract and later he tells me he wants to stay on campus? In that case I'll lose Oxford housing too.</p>
<p>The process is basically, you go to that board, and you find a contract reassignment. Once you do that, you basically talk it out with the person offering, and hope that they don't screw you over until August. In my situation, the guy signed for an Apartment already, and if he did live on campus, he'd have to pay for the apartment and the dorm. </p>
<p>Otherwise, you're gonna just have to take a leap of faith that they don't screw you over. I wasn't too big on living in the transfer only places, so that's why I decided to take the risk.</p>
<p>MightyNick, they essentially have to send you an invitation (although from what the ONSP told me I'm surprised you don't already have it). I never received it in the mail, but since they clearly sent it I was able to register. As for crappy teachers, for the discussions it doesn't say who is the GSI is, and for other classes there is only one choice. Either way I don't think not getting good instructors is a concern.</p>
<p>And if it's not possible for you to go to orientation in the summer there is the option of waiting till Fall. It's the first 3 days of class, costs extra, and you have to get special permission I think, but it can be done. If you download the orientation brochure from WA there's a section about it.</p>
<p>CVJN, no problem, it's easy to use the generic "he" and my screen name doesnt make it any easier. I'm going Monday. I was so excited and wanted to get my schedule in place so I picked the first day possible LOL. I heard transfer students should in fact have a non-official transcript for help with placement.</p>
<p>Did you start the "checklist"? There are online forms you're supposed to submit like a week before orientation. If you haven't let me know and I'll send you a link to the page.</p>
<p>You could worry a person LOL. I had to go check make sure I had the day right. Monday the 21st is when I'm signed up for. I'm guessing that WA only offers the possible options that are open, so maybe when you registered the Monday slot was already full?</p>
<p>Yeah there is a lot on the checklist, but if you look only the bold stuff is required, and that doesn't take long to get through.</p>
<p>yeah, you're right, after going through it, it was pretty fast. Took an hour~</p>
<p>and yeah, I probably didn't get a Monday choice cause it probably full. I didn't apply until I got my second semester grades cause I thought I was gonna fail and get my admissions revoked... now in hindsight... seems a bit silly of me. </p>
<p>I've kinda just looked at my classes so far. Can we pick them now? or can we only "backpack" them? I'll probably look at them later tonight, and if I can choose them, pick them then. I have a few in mind that I want to take, but I'm a bit scared to get a bad teacher. I've had way too much of those in my last university. Actually, I'll probably go harass a few of the students here for some info ;)</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that teachers are a matter of personal preference. I personally love a teacher that gets students involved in good debate and philosophical thinking. As such I've got 2 or 3 favorite professors at the community college. When I went to rateyourprofessor.com I find that they are some of the lowest rated professors because they are difficult graders with lots of work, etc. So if you're going to get opinions make sure the people are on the same "page" as you.</p>
<p>And I think we can only backpack. The advisor at orientation has to approve your schedule (although I understand you can change it later).</p>
<p>Well, some of my professors have really... made a horrible impression on me.</p>
<p>My math professor figured that correcting my grammar was more important than math. I'm not even sure HOW I pulled an A in the class.</p>
<p>I had a science class my first semester, where the professor expected info out of us that wasn't even related to the class, and then tested us on it. Never talked about it. It was an intro class too. In the end, we all sent complaints in and she curved the class and made the tests easier. </p>
<p>I think I'm just looking for easier classes my first semester to get into the flow of U-M, and then go harder and harder. Not blow off easy, but nothing incredibly hard.</p>
<p>zuzu and cvjn, how far do you live from UM? I guess you guys live close buy coz that's why you're going to summer orientation so early.</p>
<p>anyway, I just hope that by the time I register for classes at the end of August, there are enough spaces available for the classes I want to take. I hope UM doesn't have a problem like Penn State where by the time u register for classes most of them are taken anyway. I'm a big fan of ratemyprofessors and it has helped me a lot. Its gonna suck if I cant schedule a course with the teacher I want.</p>
<p>Also, when did you guys get your orientation brochure?</p>
<p>I didn't. But then again I get very few of the postal communications from UM that I'm supposed to.</p>
<p>I live about 45 minutes away.</p>
<p>I'm picking courses as opposed to professors, but I think it differs if you are taking 100-200 level courses or if you are taking 300-400 level courses. Since I'm taking almost entirely the later, the courses are more important to me than who teaches it, otherwise I might not get to take a course at all if I can't accept whoever teaches it (with the lower level there are many people teaching the same courses...I don't think it's the same with upper level).</p>